BlogBloghttp://www.morrisoncreed.co.nz/Tue, 22 Jan 2019 01:18:15 GMThttp://backend.userland.com/rssRSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/BLOG: Creating an online customer survey<p><strong>Before you start:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Register an account with your chosen survey website. This should be as easy as choosing a user name and password. No money should change hands</li>
<li>Follow the help guidelines and familiarise yourself with the process from start to finish</li>
<li>Review the pricing options - a free version may suit you. If not, decide on a starting payment plan depending on your level of use - it&rsquo;s likely you can upgrade at any time</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Now you&rsquo;re ready to create&hellip;</strong></p>
<ol>
<li>Define your objectives: What will be the focus of your survey.</li>
<li>Work backwards: Once you&rsquo;ve established your objectives, determine the information you wish to gather.</li>
<li>Check for bias: Make sure you&rsquo;re not asking leading questions or offering biased multi-choice answers. This will only lead to inaccurate feedback or annoy your customers. </li>
<li>Test-drive your survey: Engage an independent party to test it - they&rsquo;ll let you know if your questions and response options are understandable and logical.</li>
<li>Collect your results and analyse the data: As data rolls in from your survey you should gain an accurate client insight and important future direction for your business.</li>
</ol>
If you feel you&rsquo;re not savvy enough to design your own survey, your chosen survey website can probably develop your questions and design your survey for a minimal fee. It should be as simple as supplying them with your logo etc.http://www.morrisoncreed.co.nz/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=11574&A=Link&ObjectID=3256524&ObjectType=35&O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.morrisoncreed.co.nz%252fu%252fblog-creating-an-online-customer-surveyhttp://www.morrisoncreed.co.nz/u/blog-creating-an-online-customer-surveySun, 07 Jul 2013 12:00:00 GMTBLOG: Recruiting the Right Employee<p><strong>How to get it right:</strong></p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Clearly define the position description: </strong>If it's not clear what the role entails, the wrong people will apply for it with potentials slipping through the net.</li>
<li><strong>Is the offer attractive?</strong> You want to attract a large pool of applicants. Put your best foot forward - make sure advertisements are exciting and engaging. Generate multiple leads for the position - advertise in both seek and trademe as well as other forms of media. Don't forget to advertise on your own website!</li>
<li><strong>Carefully shortlist the potentials</strong>. Start by defining the essential criteria, the 'must haves' - then create a list of the 'wants'. Perform an initial screening based on the essential criteria (likely to be qualifications, experience and necessary skill sets). Now refine your shortlist based on certain skills or experience you'd love an applicant to have.</li>
<li><strong>Weed out those unlikely to fit the terms of the role</strong>. If you're looking for a long terms commitment, it's unlikely an applicant with a scattered employment history will fit.</li>
<li><strong>You may canvass the potentials by phone interview to reduce the shortlist for onsite interviews. </strong>Book in a time that suits - don't torpedo them with an impromptu call.</li>
<li><strong>Interview 5 - 10 hopefuls</strong>. Be prepared with notes from each CV and a series of probing questions to extract the best information to aid your decision. Be sure to eqnuire about aspects of their CV that didn't fit the bill.</li>
<li><strong>Call on the referees!</strong> Call at least two and have valuable questions on hand to get the most from the experience.</li>
<li><strong>Invite the top 3 - 5 for skills testing and behavioural profiling</strong>. You'll place different importance on these depending on the nature of the job. What involvement will they have with the team? Is it important that they fit the culture? Can they learn some skills upon induction?</li>
<li><strong>The second interview.</strong> Involve key team members to get a fresh take on the candidates, and then make a decision.</li>
<li><strong>Now finalise the offer of employment</strong>. Seek guidance from an employment specialist on clauses to include in the employment contract and the appropriate process to take.</li>
</ol>
<p><strong>Taking short cuts can backfire.</strong> Don't accept the first applicant that interviewed well, had a nice CV and a decent reference. Follow correct process and recruit the top applicant for the job.</p>
<p><strong>If they seem too good to be true... they probably are</strong>. Recent times have seen qualified, experienced people accept jobs well below their skill level. Chances are they'll be off when a better offer finally comes. Also, are they likely to perform well if they're bored and feeling undervalued?</p>
<p>Don't under-estimate the impact an ill-fit can have on the rest of your team..., or the cost of replacing them months later when it doesn't work out. Do it once and do it right.</p>http://www.morrisoncreed.co.nz/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=11574&A=Link&ObjectID=3256526&ObjectType=35&O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.morrisoncreed.co.nz%252fu%252fblog-recruiting-the-right-employeehttp://www.morrisoncreed.co.nz/u/blog-recruiting-the-right-employeeThu, 20 Jun 2013 12:00:00 GMTBLOG: Making Tax Payments Online<p>If your bank offers this service, you need to select Tax Payment and enter requested information.</p>
<p>If your bank doesn&rsquo;t offer this service and you want to use the standard internet banking service, you need to provide the following information for all types of electronic payments.</p>
<p>Payee name, enter &ldquo;Inland Revenue&rdquo;.<br />
Bank account number, enter03 0049 0001100 27.<br />
Amount panel, enter the amount you want deducted from your bank account.<br />
Particulars panel, enter the IRD number of the person or organisation the payment is for. Start in the second box for 8-digit IRD numbers. (Some banks may ask you to put a zero in front of the number.)<br />
Payee code panel, enter the code for the correct tax type. For a list of tax types go to www.ird.govt.nz (keywords: payment codes). Leave the next box blank, then enter the period end date for this payment, not the date you&rsquo;re making the payment. The period must show the day, month and all four digits of the year.</p>
<p>Employers&mdash;the correct period end date is printed on your employer monthly schedule or notice of assessment.</p>
<p>Individual taxpayers&mdash;your period end date is printed on your return or notice of assessment.</p>
<p>Leave the reference panel blank.</p>
<p>If you have a non-standard balance date, you must still show 3103XXXX (include the relevant year), as the period end date in the payee code panel for all electronic payments of provisional tax and income tax.</p>
<p>For example, if you have a 30 June balance date (your balance date is the end of your accounting year), you must still put 3103XXXX as the period end date for all your electronic payments of provisional tax and income tax.</p>
<p>For more information on this and other electronic payment options go to www.ird.govt.nz (keywords: making payments). Here you can access your bank&rsquo;s website with the click of your mouse to make an internet payment.</p>
<p>Note: Check your bank&rsquo;s cut-off time to ensure your payment won&rsquo;t be late.</p>
<p>The respective return still needs to be filed and all you need to do is tick &lsquo;paid electronically&rsquo; on the return before posting to Inland Revenue. That way Inland Revenue will know to check for an internet banking payment to match the liability owing from the return filed.</p>http://www.morrisoncreed.co.nz/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=11574&A=Link&ObjectID=3256530&ObjectType=35&O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.morrisoncreed.co.nz%252fu%252fblog-making-tax-payments-onlinehttp://www.morrisoncreed.co.nz/u/blog-making-tax-payments-onlineSat, 30 Jun 2012 12:00:00 GMTBLOG: What is Benchmarking and how can it help you?<p>A. It&rsquo;s all about comparing apples with apples or in business terms, it&rsquo;s about comparing your business with other businesses in the same industry.</p>
<p>Benchmark Reporting gives you the opportunity to measure your business performance against the competition and to compare your business against others in the same geographical region and of the same size.</p>
<p>It also allows you to take a look at what you&rsquo;re doing well, compared to your counterparts and look at the areas that others are doing better than you.</p>
<p>Are your profit ratios inline with the industry standards or is your wage bill too high? Are you getting the same level of return on your investment?</p>
<p>You&rsquo;ll be able to view the median result (the result that ranks in the middle of the sample), upper and lower quartile results, and see exactly where your business fits into the range of performances. This will allow you to focus on those areas of your business that need improvement.</p>
<p>We now have access to business performance statistics for a wide range of business types and this enhances the level of reporting and information we are able to provide.</p>
<p>Call us now if you would like to use Benchmarking to assist your business.</p>http://www.morrisoncreed.co.nz/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=11574&A=Link&ObjectID=3256527&ObjectType=35&O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.morrisoncreed.co.nz%252fu%252fblog-what-is-benchmarking-and-how-can-it-help-youhttp://www.morrisoncreed.co.nz/u/blog-what-is-benchmarking-and-how-can-it-help-youSun, 17 Jun 2012 12:00:00 GMTBLOG: Better Decision Making - Planning for the future<p>Consider this scenario...</p>
<p>Jonny Casual has a family trust that has owned a house on 5 acres of land for a few years which is located at the edge of town. With the expansion of town towards Jonny's land he decides to register the trust for GST, subdivide the land into town sections and sell them off... all without any discussion with his accountant. Jonny misses the country life and decides to sell the house which is now on a town sized section for a seemingly large capital gain. After all this has taken place the accountant is preparing the trust's annual accounts and Jonny is extremely unhappy when the accountant advises him that the sale of the original house is subject to both GST and income tax!</p>
<p>This is a timely reminder that before undertaking any major projects to contact us first and discuss what you are planning on doing. The relationship that you have with us will develop in a positive fashion, rather than the negative scenario of Jonny Casual above.</p>
<p>Additionally, we are continually trying to provide a better service to you and as a result the new client service plans include phone and email support to assist you in engaging us positively.</p>http://www.morrisoncreed.co.nz/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=11574&A=Link&ObjectID=3256528&ObjectType=35&O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.morrisoncreed.co.nz%252fu%252fblog-better-decision-making-planning-for-the-futurehttp://www.morrisoncreed.co.nz/u/blog-better-decision-making-planning-for-the-futureThu, 07 Jun 2012 12:00:00 GMTBLOG: Prioritise your priorities!<p><strong>It&rsquo;s like working with the TV on in our heads! </strong></p>
<p>It&rsquo;s time to limit procrastination and filter the white noise.</p>
<h4>Implement LOCKDOWN.</h4>
<p>Lockdown is a regular period of self imposed isolation. Block out two hours in your calendar, shut the door and put that phone on DND (do not disturb!). Make sure staff are aware that they shouldn&rsquo;t interrupt you unless it really is urgent. You&rsquo;ll plough through work quickly with a higher standard. And when time is up or the job done, reply to your emails, return necessary calls and revel in your achievement. Lockdown works best with regular intervals! </p>
<h4>Multitasking is a myth. </h4>
<p>Humans are like computers: when we open two programs, things run slower. <br />
Next time you jump tasks or decide to work on another project &lsquo;simultaneously&rsquo; ask yourself if it&rsquo;s because it will produce effective results or because you&rsquo;re bored or you&rsquo;ve finished the easy part? We all need diversity but flicking between many tasks is messy and unproductive. </p>
<h4>Boycott your email.</h4>
<p>Take your automatic email pop up off so you&rsquo;re not distracted every time you receive an email. Realistically if the emailer doesn&rsquo;t follow up with a call immediately then it can wait a couple of hours.<br />
Go to your Outlook Tools and select Options - Email options (on the preferences tabs) - Advanced email options, and untick the &lsquo;Display a New Mail Desktop <br />
Alert&rsquo;&hellip; (you can also make rules so emails from specific contacts still pop up). Are your &lsquo;rubbish&rsquo; emails reaching system critical? If each morning you&rsquo;re sifting through the online store newsletters to find your emails then it&rsquo;s time for an &lsquo;unsubscribe-athon&rsquo;! Click that unsubscribe button at the end of the newsletter and follow the prompts to complete the process. </p>
<h4>Seek support in your quest to be efficient.</h4>
<p>Make sure your colleagues use email effectively. Email communications should be short, to the point and easy to digest. Emails should be used only when a conversation is not possible or necessary.</p>http://www.morrisoncreed.co.nz/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=11574&A=Link&ObjectID=3256531&ObjectType=35&O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.morrisoncreed.co.nz%252fu%252fblog-prioritise-your-prioritieshttp://www.morrisoncreed.co.nz/u/blog-prioritise-your-prioritiesTue, 15 May 2012 12:00:00 GMTBLOG: Increase your online sales<p>To make sales you need visitors. Is your website actively in the public domain? Using flyers, advertising, supporting an event or charity, giving out business cards, the use of smart packaging, referral sites, and business directories are some simple ways to put your brand and website address out there for potential customers to see.</p>
<p>The next step is encouraging your site visitors to linger and engage. To do this your site must load quickly, without flashy loading pages. And the content should direct people throughout the site. <br />
Are your contact details visible on every page? Some people prefer to pick up the phone and talk to a human, others are happy burrowing into your site. </p>
<p>Is your content easy to read and helpful? Highlight benefits in your headlines. One way is to establish a problem and show how your product can resolve it.</p>
<p>Less is generally more. Pages of paragraph text are hard on the eye. Use bold, italics and highlighting (sparingly) with subheadings to break text up. Vary the length of your paragraphs and experiment with bullets to convey messages efficiently.</p>
<p>Use photos, images and videos to boost your product's desirability. A picture paints a thousand words. A video paints a thousand pictures! </p>
<p><strong>Have a clear call to action! Tell your customers to purchase now.</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>Do your systems make it easy to purchase?</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Do you offer a variety of payment methods?</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Is the order/delivery process clear and efficient?</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Does your follow-up process strengthen customer relations and therefore produce testimonials?</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Does your purchase process encourage repeat business?</p>
</li>
</ul>http://www.morrisoncreed.co.nz/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=11574&A=Link&ObjectID=3256532&ObjectType=35&O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.morrisoncreed.co.nz%252fu%252fblog-increase-your-online-saleshttp://www.morrisoncreed.co.nz/u/blog-increase-your-online-salesFri, 11 May 2012 12:00:00 GMTBLOG: Dealing with a dissatisfied customer<ul>
<li>
<p>Act FAST, don&rsquo;t stew over the complaint </p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Be a good listener and keep your cool</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Be positive in your response, the tone of your voice or correspondence must always remain fair and professional</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Offer several solutions and resolve the problem to THEIR Satisfaction, not yours</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Your brand can easily be damaged by one dissatisfied customer. A happy customer tells one friend. An unhappy customer tells everybody! A complaint that is resolved effectively can result in a loyal customer with revived trust in your brand and fresh confidence to buy again, knowing that complaints will be dealt with promptly.</p>
<p>Remember, the customer is always right. When you receive a complaint, make sure to review the necessary processes, without pointing fingers at staff. One small change could produce a big improvement.</p>http://www.morrisoncreed.co.nz/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=11574&A=Link&ObjectID=3256534&ObjectType=35&O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.morrisoncreed.co.nz%252fu%252fblog-dealing-with-a-dissatisfied-customerhttp://www.morrisoncreed.co.nz/u/blog-dealing-with-a-dissatisfied-customerMon, 07 May 2012 12:00:00 GMTBLOG: Avoid death by PowerPoint<ul>
<li>
<p>Even the best of speakers can ruin a presentation with a pointless PowerPoint, so take the time to learn this user friendly programme and improve your next presentation.</p>
<p>1. Templates can be the enemy. Avoid those with unnecessary shapes or patterns for &lsquo;effect&rsquo;. These graphics are probably irrelevant to your presentation and can be quite distracting. Create your own template; keep it clean and simple with fonts that people can read!</p>
<p>2. Avoid transitions and animations. Don&rsquo;t distract your audience from your message. Subtle animations to draw attention to a figure or statement can work well however don&rsquo;t let your PowerPoint be more about the animations than the content.</p>
<p>3. The fewer words, the better. Every slide should have the minimum necessary words and focuson one concept.... Never have paragraphs of text or read directly off the screen. Your PowerPoint should highlight your key points (with images to emphasise) and anchor your presentation. </p>
<p>4. The fewer slides the better. As a rule, limit your presentation to 1 slide per minute or you&rsquo;ll be racing the clock. You can break this rule if your presentation has lots of one liners or image slides - but be aware too many of these in quick succession could confuse your audience.</p>
<p>5. Think about your audience. Bullets work really well if you&rsquo;re presenting to a military-based operation. Bullets on their own probably don&rsquo;t engage children or visual people. The way to display content will depend on your audience. Bullets, less text, more text, big text, bright colours, conservative colours, graphs, charts, animations, photos, videos, music etc...</p>
<p>6. Mix it up. Keep the audience awake with variety. Break up heavy content by injecting humour (where appropriate) or inspiration, images, graphs, music, video clips and/or quotes.</p>
<p>7. Share the presentation. You can supply your audience with simplified &lsquo;handouts&rsquo; (and contact details) OR supply your slides after the presentation. This way the audience won&rsquo;t be distracted flicking through the notes instead of listening to you.</p>
<p>8. Test the visibility of your PowerPoint from a distance. Make sure your screen is a suitable size for the room. You must test the fonts and colours from the back of the room you're presenting in. Things always look different on your computer screen!</p>
</li>
</ul>http://www.morrisoncreed.co.nz/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=11574&A=Link&ObjectID=3256536&ObjectType=35&O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.morrisoncreed.co.nz%252fu%252fblog-avoid-death-by-powerpointhttp://www.morrisoncreed.co.nz/u/blog-avoid-death-by-powerpointSun, 22 Apr 2012 12:00:00 GMTBLOG: Getting great testimonials<ul>
<li>
<p>A testimonial is much more than a quote about how &lsquo;really great&rsquo; your product or service is - a testimonial needs to state effectively how and why something is great, from a reliable and relevant source.</p>
<p>You can&rsquo;t afford to wait for clients to offer a testimonial. Even when you have the best product or service this very rarely happens. Be proactive and actively source testimonials from that growing database of satisfied clients. If this fails to produce a glowing testimonial then at least you&rsquo;ve gained insight and strengthened customer relationships. They&rsquo;ll appreciate that you go the extra mile.</p>
<p><strong>Step 1.</strong> After someone has purchased your product or service, send them an email asking how they&rsquo;re enjoying it. Ask for some direct feedback about their experience. More specifically, ask them several simple questions:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>Were you sceptical before you purchased?</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>How was the buying experience?</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Why did you specifically choose our product/service? </p>
</li>
<li>
<p>What specific benefits have you had since using this product/service?</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Who would you recommend this product/service to and why?</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Step 2. </strong> Combine the answers to form a testimonial (75 &ndash; 100 words), ensuring all objections and concerns have been covered.</p>
<p><strong>Step 3</strong>. Ring or email the client to say you really appreciate their feedback and ask if you could base a testimonial on it. &lsquo;I&rsquo;d love to use it in my website and marketing collateral.&rsquo; If they&rsquo;re happy with your</p>
<p><strong>Step 4. </strong> Say thanks by sending them a gift or product voucher.</p>
<p>Try to engage with clients whose testimonials will highlight the key aspects of your product or business. Aim to source a range of quotes covering the quality of your product/service through to the brilliant customer service you provide.</p>
<p>Focus on your key selling points and make sure your testimonials highlight aspects relevant to your target market.... And obviously if a client does sing your praises voluntarily, repeat the necessary steps to get that testimonial!</p>
</li>
</ul>http://www.morrisoncreed.co.nz/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=11574&A=Link&ObjectID=3256537&ObjectType=35&O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.morrisoncreed.co.nz%252fu%252fblog-getting-great-testimonialshttp://www.morrisoncreed.co.nz/u/blog-getting-great-testimonialsWed, 18 Apr 2012 12:00:00 GMTBLOG: ACC changes self-employed invoicing<p>Information on your full or part-time status no longer flows through to ACC&rsquo;s database on the IRD IR3 form. If you held part-time status last year and this year your earnings crossed the threshold you will receive a letter from ACC automatically confirming your change to full-time status. In all other scenarios it is up to you to formally confirm a change of status with ACC.</p>
<p>It would pay to check your invoice this year and call us if there&rsquo;s any confusion. Clients could get stung, for instance, if they have been paying levies on the basis of part-time status, have an accident, and then declare full-time status. In such a case ACC may query it and can backdate levies up to four years. </p>
<p>We provide an ongoing ACC administration and advisory service to our clients on an agreed annual fee basis. Being recognised by ACC as your online agent gives us secure online access to your levy information, your cover status and invoices, allowing us towork directly with ACC. A simple signed authority from you and we&rsquo;d be happy to review your cover structure and premiums, to ensure your cover is appropriate and levies are minimised.</p>http://www.morrisoncreed.co.nz/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=11574&A=Link&ObjectID=3256538&ObjectType=35&O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.morrisoncreed.co.nz%252fu%252fblog-acc-changes-self-employed-invoicinghttp://www.morrisoncreed.co.nz/u/blog-acc-changes-self-employed-invoicingWed, 11 Apr 2012 12:00:00 GMTBLOG: Remuneration of shareholder employees<p>Essentially, the Supreme Court decided in favour of Inland Revenue, concluding that setting artificially low salaries amounted to tax avoidance. </p>
<p>Penny and Hooper were two orthopaedic surgeons, each earning taxable income of between $600k and $850k a year. They restructured their businesses into companies with a family trust owning most of the shares. They provided their services to the companies in return for salaries of $100k - $120k each year. </p>
<p>The balance of the company&rsquo;s income was declared as dividends to the family trust which the surgeons drew from regularly. Each year tax of between $20k and $30k was saved by having the profits after salaries taxed at the trustee rate rather than at the surgeons&rsquo; individual top personal tax rates. The court found these savings a &lsquo;more than merely incidental&rsquo; reason for their low salaries.</p>
<p>The IRD has put businesses on alert and is actively reviewing those operating through a company or trust where the income is generated from services provided by an individual, and the individual&rsquo;s salary is unreasonably low. Although there may be good reasons for setting the salary low in a particular year, e.g. adverse business conditions, or a planned expansion of the business, in some cases the sole reason for the salary level is to take advantage of the lower tax rate that applies to companies. </p>
<p>The IRD is entitled to go back four years into a business&rsquo; records, but have publicly confirmed that where a &lsquo;voluntary disclosure&rsquo; is made, only the last two income tax returns will be reassessed. A voluntary disclosure might significantly reduce IRD penalties or avoid them entirely.</p>
<p>Whenever we&rsquo;re discussing your business we&rsquo;ll look at this for you. In the meantime, if you are concerned and would like to discuss this with us, please do contact us.</p>http://www.morrisoncreed.co.nz/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=11574&A=Link&ObjectID=3256540&ObjectType=35&O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.morrisoncreed.co.nz%252fu%252fblog-remuneration-of-shareholder-employeeshttp://www.morrisoncreed.co.nz/u/blog-remuneration-of-shareholder-employeesFri, 23 Mar 2012 11:00:00 GMTBLOG: Can We Help YOU With Your Year End?<p>What we need from you is a summary of the years' financial transactions and some sort of proof that the summary is accurate. The proof required includes the supporting documents such as bank statements, hire purchase documentation and lists of outstanding invoices to customers and from suppliers. We also require the GST calculations, legal fee invoices, invoices for any large repairs and maintenance items and information of any assets purchased.</p>
<p>If you have a computerised accounting programme it may not be accurate, how do you know it doesn't contain incorrect data. To assist you, we offer a service where someone from our accounting software team will come out to your business and review your computerised accounts and print all the information required by us. We will ensure everything balances in the way it should and help you with issues such as writing off bad debts. We can also help you complete the annual client questionnaire.</p>
<p>Or maybe it's that time of year where you want to review your internal accounting systems and procedures to provide you with better information in the upcoming new financial year.</p>
<p>If you would like assistance with your accounting software system, please contact our office on (06) 353 6901.</p>http://www.morrisoncreed.co.nz/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=11574&A=Link&ObjectID=3256542&ObjectType=35&O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.morrisoncreed.co.nz%252fu%252fblog-can-we-help-you-with-your-year-endhttp://www.morrisoncreed.co.nz/u/blog-can-we-help-you-with-your-year-endThu, 15 Mar 2012 11:00:00 GMTBLOG: Netiquette: Email Best Practice Tips<ul>
<li>
<p>Don&rsquo;t use sarcasm or dry humour in an email. It can be very hard to recognise tone in a written email and your comments may be misconstrued.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>If it is particularly difficult to convey something, ask someone else to read your email message before you send it, or follow up (or precede) the email with a phone call to the recipient.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>If you are going to send a large attachment (over 1MB), ensure you check with the recipient first. Particularly if it is a home email address, if they are on dial-up or satellite broadband it may choke their bandwidth. If you can, upload the file online and email a link to the recipient.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Don&rsquo;t forward hoax emails. Check forwarded emails at www.snopes.com to ensure they don&rsquo;t contain a complete fallacy that will make you look gullible.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Before you hit send:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>If your email is emotionally charged, save it to draft and wait half an hour before you send it. Re-read it (or have someone else read it) and make sure what you are sending is professional, or don&rsquo;t send anything at all. Read, read and re-read your email message before you send it to make sure no odd typos have crept in.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Re-check the email address. You don&rsquo;t want to accidentally send an email meant for a co-worker to a client.</p>
</li>
</ul>http://www.morrisoncreed.co.nz/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=11574&A=Link&ObjectID=3256544&ObjectType=35&O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.morrisoncreed.co.nz%252fu%252fblog-netiquette-email-best-practice-tipshttp://www.morrisoncreed.co.nz/u/blog-netiquette-email-best-practice-tipsMon, 30 Jan 2012 11:00:00 GMTBLOG: Managing the Virtual Workplace<p>Virtual managers must anticipate communication breakdowns and have the skills at hand to minimise the effects. Some simple suggestions:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>Get staff to communicate their hours and current pipeline tasks to the team</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Instant message or email staff where you have a quick question</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Schedule daily phone/skype updates to keep an eye on their workload and progress</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Have monthly staff meetings over coffee and scones</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Celebrate staff birthdays</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Have quarterly staff planning and training days</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Bring the staff together for formal social engagements</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Out of sight, out of mind? Remember to reward great work!</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Recognise the warning signs. If a staff member is missing deadliness then nip it in the bud and get the communication back on track. Remember that everyone enjoys working in different ways - there is no right or wrong. Try to focus on the results and outcomes, not the process.</p>http://www.morrisoncreed.co.nz/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=11574&A=Link&ObjectID=3256545&ObjectType=35&O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.morrisoncreed.co.nz%252fu%252fblog-managing-the-virtual-workplacehttp://www.morrisoncreed.co.nz/u/blog-managing-the-virtual-workplaceFri, 27 Jan 2012 11:00:00 GMTBLOG: Credit Card Fraud - It Could Affect Your Online Business<p>Credit card fraud is a serious risk to your business and your customers. Be aware of the risks to avoid damaging your business&rsquo; reputation and bottom line. </p>
<p>Some helpful tips to avoid credit card fraud:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>Make sure your anti-virus software is up to date. </p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Make sure you have effective passwords. Use passwords with letters and numbers and both upper and lower cases - passwords that cannot be easily guessed. And change them on a regular basis. </p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Dispose of customer card information. If you have permission to retain this then make sure information is password protected. Hard copies of information should be locked up. Shred any such information when no longer required. </p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Limit staff access to this area of your business. It is important that your computer, associated equipment (e.g. servers) and website passwords are protected from unauthorised users.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Make sure your website online payment system is secure. Use secure online payment gateways such as DPS and payment express. This takes much of the hassle out of online payments and is safest for your customers.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>When it comes to online shopping, your customers will appreciate the extra mile you go to provide a trustworthy and secure website. Advertise the systems you have implemented to shelter them from credit card fraud.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Most banks are very proactive when it comes to credit card fraud, if you have concerns about your credit card systems then have a look online at your bank&rsquo;s safety recommendations.</p>
</li>
</ul>http://www.morrisoncreed.co.nz/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=11574&A=Link&ObjectID=3256547&ObjectType=35&O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.morrisoncreed.co.nz%252fu%252fblog-credit-card-fraud-it-could-affect-your-online-businesshttp://www.morrisoncreed.co.nz/u/blog-credit-card-fraud-it-could-affect-your-online-businessFri, 20 Jan 2012 11:00:00 GMTBLOG: Make that holiday happen<p>Here are a few tips to help you plan a holiday and make the most of it:</p>
<p><br />
</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>Put systems in place. If you write down your procedures and practices and ensure your team are following them, you can lie on the beach without worrying. The earlier you put systems in place within your business, the earlier you will reap the benefits.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Plan. Use your most productive time of day to plan your holiday. Don&rsquo;t try and do it once you get home, after the kids are in bed. Put aside 30 minutes each working day to really plan your holiday and book airfares and accommodation. You&rsquo;ll have less risk of booking incorrect dates and times and your holiday will be more cohesive.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Rethink how you use your time. If you spend your working day rushing from A to B, book a holiday that involves lying in one place. If you spend your work week on a wheelie chair in front of a monitor, go somewhere with plenty of places to walk and explore. Make sure your holiday is a real break from reality - not just the same behaviours moved to a different location.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Shut off. Leave your mobile and laptop behind and don&rsquo;t check your emails. Holiday like it&rsquo;s 1989 - if you are away from the office, you are out of contact. If it&rsquo;s an emergency, your team can call the hotel, but do not give any way to contact you directly.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Take a mini-break. If you really can&rsquo;t get away for a week or two, take a long weekend, unplug and relax. Explore your nearest large city and visit the theatre or get your blood pumping with a live sports game. If you are in the city, find your closest rural retreat, have a massage then get your gumboots on and step out into that invigorating fresh air.</p>
</li>
</ul>http://www.morrisoncreed.co.nz/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=11574&A=Link&ObjectID=3256548&ObjectType=35&O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.morrisoncreed.co.nz%252fu%252fblog-make-that-holiday-happenhttp://www.morrisoncreed.co.nz/u/blog-make-that-holiday-happenWed, 18 Jan 2012 11:00:00 GMTBLOG: Holidays for busy business owners<p>Holidays are vital for tired, stressed business owners. Not only is the habit of taking regular holidays linked to reduced mortality and lower incidence of heart disease, but holidays have myriad benefits.</p>
<p>Going away with friends and loved ones, or taking solo time out is great for your mental health, reducing risk of depression and also alleviating stress. Extra sunshine helps boost Vitamin D and a few hours&rsquo; extra sleep helps our well-being in general.</p>
<p>Holidays also allow more time to bond with family and make exercise fun. Go for walks on the beach, a city walking tour, hiking and tramping or playing backyard cricket. </p>
<p>Depending on your destination, you are likely to expand your mind also. All that botany, marine biology, history and culture leave little room to stress out about the banalities of the office. And there is the added benefit of keeping your mind challenged and taking young family members on a voyage of discovery.</p>http://www.morrisoncreed.co.nz/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=11574&A=Link&ObjectID=3256549&ObjectType=35&O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.morrisoncreed.co.nz%252fu%252fblog-holidays-for-busy-business-ownershttp://www.morrisoncreed.co.nz/u/blog-holidays-for-busy-business-ownersMon, 09 Jan 2012 11:00:00 GMTBLOG: Which numbers are important?<p>These include:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>Data surrounding how many staff you have and how &lsquo;productive&rsquo; they are in terms of selling goods or services</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>How many clients or customers you have and how much each of these spends with you</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Data surrounding cashflow and the collection of bad debts or even debts you may have to &lsquo;write off&rsquo;</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Revenue generated by the different good and services you offer</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Benchmarking</strong> - is vital when establishing the performance of your business. Benchmarking compares your important KPIs to those of businesses with similar operations. You can then ask yourself: </p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>Are your operating costs as low as similar businesses? </p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Is your debtor management plan working as effectively as those of your competitors? </p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Is your staff productivity comparable? </p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Benchmarking can provide the not so obvious solutions to a number of small margins which in turn, when tweaked, may dramatically improve your bottom line</p>
</li>
</ul>http://www.morrisoncreed.co.nz/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=11574&A=Link&ObjectID=3256551&ObjectType=35&O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.morrisoncreed.co.nz%252fu%252fblog-which-numbers-are-importanthttp://www.morrisoncreed.co.nz/u/blog-which-numbers-are-importantSun, 08 Jan 2012 11:00:00 GMTBLOG: The Remote Workforce<p>The virtual worker is rewarded with job flexibility -providing their services from home, separate or even multiple office locations. The Employer can streamline their business, and minimise overheads. </p>
<p>The fundamental reason for this increasingly popular workforce is the growing access to technology. Technology such as the smart phone and tablet are becoming mainstream amongst professionals. We can now perform tasks very effectively from almost any location. Quite simply, technology is driving efficiency and communication. </p>
<p>Remote workers can wear whatever they want, avoid traffic and related travel costs, potentially dictate their working hours, all while avoiding the bulk of office distractions and internal politics. In some industries, it&rsquo;s highly likely that this style of working and managing will be prevalent in the future.</p>
<p>As the world heads towards the &lsquo;post PC phase&rsquo;, now is the time to test the &lsquo;remote office&rsquo; with your staff. If you remain inflexible you may miss the boat and run the risk of losing touch with your employees and customers. If your competitors are cutting operating costs by managing a virtual workplace, this will be reflected in their prices and their share of the market place.</p>
<p>There are possible downsides. Workers might feel out of touch, find it harder to communicate with their seniors, losing sight of tasks and predetermined outcomes. Achieving the ultimate remote work balance will be important and perhaps heavily dependent on management. Not everyone is suited to this style of working - or managing. The virtual workplace suits self-motivated employees, capable of working around distractions, and comfortable working in solitude. If your employee doesn&rsquo;t tick these boxes then perhaps they&rsquo;re better off in the office.</p>http://www.morrisoncreed.co.nz/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=11574&A=Link&ObjectID=3256552&ObjectType=35&O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.morrisoncreed.co.nz%252fu%252fblog-the-remote-workforcehttp://www.morrisoncreed.co.nz/u/blog-the-remote-workforceTue, 03 Jan 2012 11:00:00 GMT